13 thoughts on “Fiscal State

  1. MaryLou's ArmaLite

    Most of our TDs behave like county councilors, this kinda removes the need for local government.

  2. TheQ47

    According to that graphic, it looks like Hungary is more centralised, and UK is broadly similar to us.

    Just sayin’, like.

  3. Jonickal

    “This is why local infrastructure and local services are so underdeveloped.”

    That’s a very sloppy assumption to make.

    Also, that chart excludes our social security budget so it’s a misrepresentation. Same for Malta and UK which have similar tax + social security accounting regime to us.

  4. Ger

    This is just PR to raise more property taxes at a local level, try having a 2 or 3 % of property value every year to pay in local taxes doubt the local infrastructure and associated bloated bureaucracy will be worth it.

    1. Zaccone

      Property taxes are a far fairer way of raising revenue for state spending than income taxes. One discourages work, the other both discourages living in a house bigger than your needs (ie, helps the housing crisis) and taxes people with high value assets.

        1. Zaccone

          Tell that to the 1/3rd of people in Ireland who’re too poor own their own home. I’m sure they’d regard owning their primary residence as an asset, if given the opportunity.

  5. ____

    A hell of a lot is spent on local infrastructure and services but the results are bad because* we spend the money on maintaining an enormous network of local roads that should be allowed rot and generally having overly dispersed services. We do this because people insist on living in the middle of effing nowhere and expect to have the same access to infrastructure and services.

    The narrative that rural Ireland is forgotten about is nonsense – the reality is that a disproportionate amount is diverted away from our towns and cities to supplement those who fetishise rural isolation.

    *(that’s part of it, they’re also bad because we’re playing a catch-up game compared to other countries after centuries without any investment or development)

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